Wounded
by Stand In Girl
Summary: Her face went slack, her eyes widened and her lips pursed. The silent change indicated that she was in pain and trying hard to conceal it. Didn’t work. MA. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Wounded

**Rating**: T-ish

**Summary**: There are some things Logan can never get, no matter how hard he tries. But Alec doesn't have to try. If you'd prefer something less vague: Max staggers into the Penthouse, injured and in pain, and Alec is with her.

**Pairing**: MA.

**Disclaimer**: I own them. And I own the Winchester brothers. And the Serenity crew. Oh, wait, I _don't_? Awwww. Well, there you have it.

**Wounded**

A burst of activity in the hall awoke Logan from his uneasy sleep and he jerked in surprise, sending the papers on his lap flying across the room. The door banged open, and two harried transgenics stumbled their way into his loft.

Stumbling wasn't a good sign, considering the genetically enhanced cat grace, and all.

Logan quickly straightened his glasses and rose blearily from his computer chair, exoskeleton whirring softly. He glanced at his watch, noting that it was almost 5:00 in the morning.

"Where have you guys been?" Logan asked as he encountered a haggard-looking Max and Alec. His voice was gravelly, but the concern was still evident. "You were supposed to check in after you finished. Is everything okay?"

"Nice of you to worry about me, Logan," Alec replied with an overly friendly smile, though his eyes were cold and hinted none of the teasing displayed in his voice.

Logan promptly ignored him. "Max?"

His gaze landed on her, and for the first time he realized that her arm was wrapped around Alec's waist, most of her weight was slumped against him.

"What _happened_?" He asked, immediately noting that she was severely favoring her left leg, around which a large white bandage was wrapped.

"She let herself get knifed by a guy," Alec grunted, and Logan shot him a fierce glare. Though as he did, he noticed the corner of Alec's eyes were crinkled worriedly and his brow was furrowed.

"You were supposed to be watching him," Max bit back, but her voice also held something deeper, something Logan couldn't place.

"If I hadn't been watching him, he'd have gotten your ribs," Alec replied without skipping a beat, and for the first time Logan noticed a thin but undoubtedly deep cut along Alec's neck, just to the right and curving slightly to meet his atom's apple. "Not my fault he moved faster than either of us thought."

She took a step forward, meaning to remove her weight from Alec's side and possibly glare, but her leg crumbled under her. Logan jumped forward and Max's eyes widened in horrified alarm, but at the same moment Alec moved unnaturally fast. He simultaneously caught her falling body and warded off Logan with an outstretched hand.

"I got her, Logan," Alec said sternly, and for a split second the concern peaked through his dilated green eyes. Then he frowned and glanced at Max. "Although she's just using this as an excuse to get up close and personal with her old buddy Alec."

Max growled and chose not to dignify his comment with a response.

"How deep is the wound? Did you get her to a hospital?" Logan questioned, his eyes melting in concern as he studied Max's pale face. How _could_ Alec be so flippant?

Alec raised a brow. "Have _you_ tried convincing Max to go to a hospital?"

Logan's gaze narrowed indignantly, "But if it's serious, she could end up—,"

"Would you stop talking about me as if I wasn't here?!" Max burst out angrily, and although neither of them had forgotten her demanding presence, both men turned to her and quieted all the same.

Or, Logan quieted. Alec couldn't quite manage it. "I patched her up fine," He responded as if there had been no interruption, shrugging and jarring Max slightly with the movement.

She glared. "Alec, put me down. I don't wanna be stuck leaning against you all night."

"Hmm, not the usual reaction," Alec said, smiling wolfishly at her and plainly indicating that most girls would just _kill_ to be leaning up against him all night. Logan felt his hackles rise at the careless flirtation.

"Alec, _set her down_," The words were harsh, forced and protective, and any anger or amusement in Max's eyes quickly fled.

Alex released a long-suffering sigh and obligingly moved passed Logan, careful to keep a wide berth as he deposited Max in Logan's computer chair. Max shrugged carelessly out of her jacket, letting the material fall haphazardly to the floor as she sagged into the seat. Logan would probably have to throw the chair out and get a new one after this, but he was willing to make the sacrifice.

"What happened?" He asked again.

Alec and Max both rolled their eyes simultaneously, and the sight would have been humorous had the love of his life not been wounded.

"Max got cut up by one of the guards working the late shift." Alec stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He didn't mention the cut on his neck, and Logan didn't ask.

"Only because you didn't stop him soon enough," Max shot back, fire dancing in her eyes. Then her face went slack, her eyes widened and her lips pursed. The silent change indicated that she was in pain and trying hard to conceal it. Didn't work.

"Max," Logan said anxiously, kneeling to her level while still keeping a safe distance from her. "Look at me," He pleaded, worry strong in his tone. Her eyes remained stubbornly downcast.

"Suck it up, it's not that bad." Alec's sudden harshness had both Max and Logan's heads jerking up in surprise. Her eyes met Alec's and she glared heatedly, reaching up and smacking him square in the chest.

"_Shut it_, pretty boy." Max gritted through her teeth, but the grimace looked as if it had been caused by annoyance instead of pain. "I could still kick your ass."

"Only because I saved yours," He shot back, his voice even and indignant. Perhaps a little _too_ even. Logan studied the male transgenic thoroughly and gradually found marks of concern; his eyes were dark, a frown was resolutely plastered on his face, and his jaw was clenched now that he wasn't speaking. So why was he acting so completely unsympathetic toward Max?

At the thought, Logan glanced back at her and felt his concern take over again, thoughts of Alec pushed out of his mind.

"Need anything? Something to eat or drink?"

Max shot him a look that was more of a painful scowl than anything. "No thanks, Logan, I'm just going to get back to my apartment and sleep it off."

"Oh, hell no. I have to cart you all the way over there, and you're not passing out and making it harder on me." Alec nodded to Logan, indicating for him to get her something. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You are _such_ a whiner," She replied. "I doubt I would even pass out."

"Really? You're looking a little pale there, princess." It should have been harsh, but it wasn't. Something cracked just a bit, and Logan saw how Max's gaze quickly darted toward Alec's face. Logan forced himself to continue into the kitchen and get her something.

He returned a few minutes later and found Max still in his chair, elbows resting on her knees and head bowed so that her silky hair drifted over her face. Logan glanced at Alec, ready to ask for help getting the food to Max, but his breath caught in surprise. Alec was staring at Max with an expression that only could be described as _tender_. Logan cleared his throat, wary and slightly afraid of the look, wanting it to disappear.

And it did. Alec's face immediately shifted as he grinned arrogantly and raised a brow. "Finally. Now would you please feed her so I can go home?"

Logan shot him an annoyed look, Alec's surliness pushing him over the edge. "I can't go near her, you idiot."

Alec returned the look with equal animosity and then grabbed the simple sandwich and glass of water. He walked the few steps to Max's side and held the plate out to her, almost like a peace offering. She glanced at his face and then did something so out of character that it nearly stunned Logan.

She smiled. At _Alec_. It wasn't a smirk, or a triumphant grin because she'd just won an argument. It was an honest, sweet, thankful smile. The kind of smile that she rarely even flashed Logan.

She took a few large, hurried bites of the sandwich, obviously needing the fuel. Then she chugged down the water and stood up suddenly, placing the plate and glass carelessly on Logan's desk.

"Take me home," She said, her voice tired. Both Logan and Alec nodded, and Logan felt a pressure settle over his heart as she realized that she was yet again looking at Alec. _Talking_ to Alec. "And don't just stand there; I need help. It's your fault, anyway."

Alec scoffed, but wrapped his arm around her waist all the same. Logan's instincts were telling him to order Alec off of her, but the more intelligent part of him knew Alec was just giving support; Max would have reacted if it was more. At least, Logan assumed she would have.

Alec helped Max hobble to the door, their combined gate slow and painful-looking. Logan could tell the injury took a lot out of her, even though she was trying to put up a brave front. And yet she was allowing Alec to witness the small amount of weakness by accepting his help, which completely baffled Logan. What had happened to their almost hateful relationship? Not too long ago, every word Max had spoken about Alec had been scornful and dripping with sarcasm. What had changed?

"Alec, my jacket." Max's voice whispered through the apartment, and Logan glanced at his desk. Sure enough, her jacket was still resting in a pile of fabric on the floor.

"Just come back and get it some other time." Alec replied, opening the door. Max didn't say anything, but she must have been giving Alec a death glare because a second later he sighed and came back into view. Logan wondered if she wanted to get it now so that she wouldn't have to come back later. She'd been trying hard to stay away from him since their last close call, and she'd been doing an admittedly good job of it. She'd only helped out tonight because he had nearly begged her to do it.

Alec shrugged his shoulders at Logan and picked up the black leather jacket, folding it over his arm. He turned to walk away, but Logan stopped him.

"Take care of her, okay?" He said, his voice managing to sound plaintive and slightly hostile at once. Alec's gaze narrowed, but he just nodded and then walked back toward the front door. Logan followed him and waved at Max, who was leaning against the doorframe with an impatient look on her face.

"Who knew you were this needy?" Alec complained as she shot him a frustrated glare. Max grabbed his arm, and Logan could see she had an unnecessarily tight grip on it as she steadied herself. "Or this touchy-feely? And not in the way I imagined, either." Alec added, wincing.

With that, they both walked through the door and slammed it behind them. Their voices echoed as they walked down the hall and then faded into nothingness as they stepped onto the elevator. And just like that, Logan was alone again. Alone and worried.

Not for Max, because he knew Alec would get her home safe. The injury was serious, but she had incredible healing abilities and would most likely be alright within the next couple of days. No, he was worried _because_ he knew Alec would get her home safe.

Logan hadn't seen the two interact in a while, but clearly something had shifted in that amount of time. And it was big. Whether either of them realized it or not, their relationship was changing into something much more serious. And Logan – who couldn't even offer a helping hand when the love of his life was wounded – didn't like it at all.

* * *

_Reviews are always lovely; I'd be grateful if you left one!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Okay, so a lot of you asked for a continuation for this story. I don't know how well that request works for you usually, but you guys have actually convinced me to write more! I wasn't going to continue with it, but then I started thinking about it. And then I moved from thinking about it to writing the second chapter in my head… so I caved. Don't expect too much, because I didn't have any plot in mind for this in the beginning. But it's a nice, refreshing change from my other story and I'm thinking one more chapter after this. _

**Chapter 2**

The ride home was long and tedious. Twice Alec felt Max's arms slip from his waist as she teetered dangerously on the back of the motorcycle, and twice he'd had to steer the bike one-handed while he reached back and pulled her upright again. By the time they had reached her apartment, her head was resting on the center of his back and she seemed to have dropped all pretense of strength.

"Max," He said, as gently as he knew how, which still sounded a little gruff. He shrugged his shoulders slightly, hoping to jar her out of her state. There was silence for a few seconds, and then he felt her stir behind him. He could almost _feel_ her preparing to be tough again.

"Took you long enough," She bit out, but the weak quiver in her voice made the usually biting remark fall flat.

He shrugged again and threw his leg over the seat, not really wanting to join in on her attempt at their usual sarcasm. She waited a minute more with the intense air of one preparing herself, and then stepped off the bike and placed her weight on her injured leg. It crumpled beneath her.

Alec managed to catch her before she hit the ground, and he pulled her upright as best as he could under the circumstances—those being that she was fighting him every step of the way.

"Let _go_ of me!" She growled, but again the effect was diminished by the way she gripped his forearms tightly to keep herself standing.

It was clear that the adrenaline was wearing off, and that Max was feeling the full extent of her wound. He didn't begrudge her that; the knife had sliced straight through skin and muscle and might have possibly nicked the bone. But she _was_ lucky, in a sense, that the attacker hadn't hit her peripheral artery—she would have been dead within minutes if he had.

Still, Alec knew it hurt like hell. He was sure it had hurt when he'd cauterized and bandaged it, and it was definitely stinging like a bitch now. He just wanted her to stop _fighting_ him so much; she was only making it more difficult for them both. Alec had no idea what to do with the injured female as it was, without the resistance on her part.

Sure, he understood how to pull her out of a funk and get her moving, and he did indulge in a little pig-headed pride at the fact that Logan couldn't say the same. The Ordinary spent too much time worrying about Max to realize that she _hated_ being coddled and responded much more easily to sarcasm. But when it came to actually taking _care_ of her—well, there he was at a loss. He wondered if Logan would have known what to do.

"Max," He said, a little more sharply then he meant to. She was now standing next to her ninja, gripping the seat with white-knuckled fingers. She didn't answer or look at him at all, and he was starting to get frustrated. "Max! Can we get moving, here? This night's dragged on hours longer than you said it would, I had to go see _Logan_, and now I'm stuck here waiting for you to get your pretty ass upstairs. So can you, you know, stop standing around and get on with it?"

He'd meant to shock her and pull her out of the pain the way he had at the Penthouse, but he could see from the widening of her eyes and the barest flicker of hurt that he'd gone a little too far. He had half a mind to apologize, something he rarely did, but the emotion in her gaze had disappeared and was replaced with anger before he could force the words out.

"No one asked you to take me home. You _volunteered_." She snarled, and he imagined that she would have put her hands on her hips if she had been able to stand unaided.

"Fine," He bit out, not exactly angry but not used to taking her scathing remarks without adding one of his own, either. "And now I'm _volunteering_ to help you up the stairs. So come on."

She stayed silent, which he took as a sign of assent, but she didn't move. "You need help, don't you?" He asked, and he couldn't help the undercurrent of smugness that floated through his tone.

"No."

He withheld a sigh and counted to ten before he spoke again. He was tired of going around in circles while Max pretended to be alright. "It was my fault, right? I'm in your debt. Don't waste it, sweetheart; it'll never happen again."

He'd pushed the right button, he could tell by the way her eyes narrowed. She stood for a second more, and then beckoned him over with an impatient wave of her hand. He released an overdramatic and long-suffering sigh, and then cleared the distance between them.

She braced herself on his arm, both hands clinging to him as she struggled to step forward on the wounded leg. He moved to put an arm around her, but stopped short at the fierce glare she sent his way and resisted the urge to sigh _again_.

"Don't count on it," She said, finally answering his earlier statement. "I'm sure you'll do something stupid and I'll have to bail your ass out of trouble again."

Alec grunted, but otherwise left her statement unanswered as they walked through the rundown door that led to her apartment building. This time, with no comfortable, plush elevator to ride in, the journey was much more difficult. Max's place was only a few flights up, but it took them a good half an hour to get to her apartment. If she'd have just let Alec carry her, they could have made it there in a minute flat. But of course, she hadn't been fond of the idea when he had mentioned it to her.

Alec was feeling the beginnings of fatigue, which signified that the adrenaline and caffeine he'd chugged earlier were also wearing off. It was now six o'clock in the morning, and he would have liked nothing better to sink into his ratty, lumpy mattress and sleep for a week. Because, unlike Max, whose shark DNA only let her sleep a few hours a week, Alec actually _needed_ some shut-eye.

They were three steps away from Max's landing when she let go of him and staggered into the wall, a look of blind panic passing over her face.

"Max?" He stepped toward her, his hand outstretched, but she ignored him and slid down the wall, frantically clutching at her leg.

"_Hurts_." She shoved the word through her lips as if speaking was painful. Her clenched jaws muffled her speech again as she said, almost hysterically, "_Alec, it hurts!_"

He stood for a fraction of a second, completely and totally baffled. He had never seen Max react like this to anything. He had never had to take care of her the way she seemed to need right now—even if she didn't _want_ him to be the one doing the caring.

In the next second, however, Manticore instinct took over. He leaned next to her and waited until her frenzied eyes looked into his.

"Max," He said slowly, clearly, remembering how many times one of his unit-mates had had to talk him through an injury, how many times he had done it for them. "You have to relax, okay? Deep, even breaths. You've got to calm down. You hear me? _Calm down_." He continued talking lowly, giving instructions until she seemed to get a better grip of herself. Gradually, her shoulders slumped and her hands relaxed and retreated from her thigh.

"Okay?" He asked.

She nodded without looking at him, her fingers wrapping around each other distractedly. He held out a hand to help her up, and she _did_ look at him then—he could tell she was debating whether or not to argue.

He released a relieved breath when she took his hand without complaint, and he helped her hobble the rest of the way to her apartment.

"There's a fifty-fifty shot that O.C's home," Max said, her voice slightly hoarser than usual but otherwise normal.

Alec felt a sense of foreboding as he inserted her keys and opened the door; Original Cindy would be after his ass for letting this happen to Max. Not that it was really his fault anyway. Totally unfair.

But as they stepped in, Alec immediately sensed that the apartment was blissfully empty. No sounds drifted out from any of the rooms and he would have been able to smell O.C if she'd been present. Woman used a lot of hair-care products.

Max seemed to have sensed it too, if the relaxing of her shoulders was anything to go by. Alec started to guide Max toward the couch, but she slapped his hands away and made the last few steps on her own. She collapsed onto the shaggy old thing, looking completely and utterly spent.

"Even shark DNA has its limits," He commented wryly, now feeling a little awkward. He had gotten her to her apartment, so he was pretty much free to go. But how could he just leave her like this? Didn't friends do something… _more_?

She shot him what would have been a disgusted look had she been on top of her game, and Alec grinned in response. Then she flinched again at what he thought was another stinging ache through her leg, and Alec thought of something.

"Painkillers," He said, somewhat abruptly. "Do you have any?"

She looked at him in surprise and then nodded slowly, looking as if she was trying to pull herself together enough to focus. "In the bathroom. Snagged them from Harbor Lights."

His jaw clenched slightly, but he went and grabbed them for her, noticing a few other medicine bottles surrounding the container of painkillers. He rattled the pills around in the bottle and then shook his head as he walked back out to her.

"You've only got a few in here," He said, pulling off the cap and handing the lot to her. She swallowed them dry, looking grateful, and he thought that it was perhaps the second time tonight that she'd shown that particular emotion. The first time had been that smile when he'd handed her the plate of food, and it had rendered him speechless for a moment.

Not an easy thing to do.

"Hey," She grumbled, shooting him an annoyed look. "You try dealing with a bullet hole in your gut and see how many painkillers you take. Especially since these are pretty useless to us and our freaky metabolisms as it is."

He grit his teeth together again at the mention of Max being shot. He really hated the reminder, especially since he hadn't found out about the incident from Max. Not like he'd care, or anything, that she'd almost died.

"Alec?"

He glanced back at her, disliking the way he felt when she said his name like that, without the usual rancor. Just simple, questioning. He could tell why her mood had suddenly changed, too—Max was leaning back on the couch, looking a little more relaxed, and her eyes were only open a few centimeters. He wondered if the painkillers had kicked in so soon or if she was finally just losing it after all the stress.

"Yeah?"

"You looked kinda spacey. You realize you can go now, right?" There was a little bite to it, but not as much as usual. He was grateful for the reprieve.

He thought about her question and then sat down in a chair reasonably close to the couch she was lounging on. He stayed silent for a few minutes, and then surprised her when he spoke again. "I heard about what happened at Harbor Lights—O.C told me when I asked her why you hadn't been to work in a few days," He began slowly, not quite sure how to broach the subject, or why he was doing it in the first place. "Why didn't you call me?"

He hated it, the way his question had come out sounding almost hurt. Alec didn't _do_ hurt. He hoisted a smirk onto his face and added, "I mean, it would've been nice to save your ass for a change."

She looked at him with a strange expression on her face, like she couldn't quite figure his question out. "Logan got me out of it okay," She said, and he heard the slight defensiveness behind the statement.

He snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure getting quarantined by the CDC and running into White was all just part of the plan."

There was definitely a note of anger in her eyes now. "You know what, Alec? I really don't need this right now. In case you haven't noticed, I have a huge hole in my leg."

He ran an agitated hand through his hair, making it stand on end. "No, Max, I hadn't realized that." He took a deep breath and then said, quietly, "In case _you_ haven't noticed, I've been here the entire time."

She opened her mouth and then closed it again, and a long silence spread out between them. She didn't seem to have anything else to say, witty or otherwise, and Alec wasn't sure he wanted to try and begin another conversation with her. He could tell she was upset about being so vulnerable, but damn if he wasn't tired of fighting. Still, there was one thing he really wanted to know.

"Why'd you do it?" He asked suddenly, going against his better judgment.

She glanced at him warily. "Do what?"

"Tonight. Why'd you help Logan, Max? Last I heard, you were trying to stay away from him."

She seemed to be preparing a mocking retort when suddenly all the fight drained out of her. "I don't know," She admitted, and Alec raised his eyebrows. "He called and asked… how could I not?"

"It's pretty easy," He said, leaning back in his chair. "'No' is always an acceptable answer."

Her lips twisted. "You don't understand. Logan and me…"

"Have the woe-is-me love thing going on, I get it," He interrupted, not really wanting to hear intimate details of their relationship. Not that they had ever really been all that _intimate_. Hah.

She glared at him. "No, what I was going to say is, that's the way we've always done things—he calls me and I help him. It started out as a business deal, and then it sort of… became the foundation of our relationship."

He stayed silent for a while, surprised that she had actually told him. The injury and meds must have really been affecting her head, because on normal circumstances she wouldn't have answered at all. "So, what?" He said after a pause."Not going on Logan's Save-The-City trip means admitting that you two are history?"

"Oh, very subtle, Alec." She snapped, but he noticed that she didn't give him a straight answer.

The room went quiet again, although it wasn't altogether uncomfortable.

"Alec?" She said his name like that again, and he clenched his jaw together to stop the immediate reaction he felt. "Why did _you_ do this? Come along with me. It's not like I offered you any money this time."

He froze, wishing right then that she had asked him anything else. Asked him about Manticore, about the months he'd spent in Psy Ops because of her crazy brother—anything but that.

He stayed still for a fraction of a second, and in that moment Max would have seen a glimpse of the intense struggle taking place just under the surface had she been paying attention. Then he grinned. "Nothin' better to do."

She made a disapproving sound. "You came because you were bored?"

His smile widened, "You know how much I hate that."

"Whatever."

She looked away again, settling into the couch, and the grin slid of his face. "Look, I gotta go get some sleep. You gonna be alright here?"

She waved him off with an impatient hand, and he stood up and walked toward the door. His fingers were gripping the doorknob when she spoke again.

"Thanks, Alec."

She said it very quietly, but he heard it anyway, just as she knew he would. His hand shook slightly on the doorknob as he turned back to look at her one more time. Then he opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

* * *

_A/N: There's a bit more to come, I've just got to write it out. Oh, and I haven't decided where this is set in Season Two, yet. Before Hello, Goodbye, but definitely middle to late in the season, when Max doesn't hate him as much._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Max had thought Manticore was Hell when she'd been locked up there as a child. Then she'd escaped and realized that particularly awful foster homes shared the same title. And after that, when she got a job working with the most annoying, sarcastic republican on the planet, Max had come to equate work with Hell, too.

But now she was absolutely, positively sure that _this_ was Hell. Lying on a couch in her empty apartment, with no sound except the rain drizzling bleakly outside her window and nothing to think about except the blinding, white-hot pain in the middle of her thigh. Her gunshot wound hadn't even seemed this bad—but then again, she'd been in the hospital with awesome medicine for the first few days after the injury.

God, she missed Alec.

Incredibly, unbelievably, she really wanted that smartass back. He was so infuriating that he managed to draw her mind away from the fact that there was an inches-deep slash in her leg. And now, without his constant, annoying chatter and his soothing voice for when things got really painful, she had no one to help her through it. She didn't like the dependency, but she couldn't deny it, either. She just blamed it on her weakened state.

Not that she'd ever tell Alec any of this. Asshole hadn't even stuck around afterwards to make sure she was alright.

Fine, she knew that was a little unfair. So he'd pretty much had her back the entire night, and she probably wouldn't have made it home otherwise. But she was in _pain_, dammit, what did she care about being reasonable at a time like this?

After suffering for just over two hours, Max was about ready to rip her hair out. Or jump out the window and hopefully land on her head. Whichever came first. So when she heard the quick knock on the front door, she was pretty sure she had reached the point of having hallucinations.

When the pounding grew louder and more insistent, and then stopped only to transition to small, scratching metallic sounds, she wondered what her imagination had in store for her. She looked at the door curiously, waiting for it to open as the person on the other side picked the flimsy lock. When it swung outward and revealed Alec, she was vaguely unsurprised. She closed her eyes once, held them shut for a second, and then opened them again. He didn't disappear, but stayed solid and real-looking.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, agitation streaking through her tone. He stopped in his tracks and shot her an annoyed look.

"Since you look like hell," He began, and wasn't that a funny coincidence? "I'm going to ignore that comment."

He lifted his hand and shook a tiny bottle that she had only just noticed. Then he tossed it to her, and she was glad to see her reflexes were still reliable despite the damage her body had suffered. She stared at the container in her hand, reading the label.

"What's this?" She asked, because she had never heard of the brand before.

"Painkillers," He said promptly, leaning against the kitchen counter in a decidedly casual stance. "Got them awhile back. It took some searching, but eventually I found some that actually work for us. Really strong medicine—not available for the general public." He smirked into her stunned face. "I'd advise you not to take too many, though, because they can get a little… addicting. And detox is a bitch."

She swallowed once, glanced at the bottle, and then looked back at him. She didn't say anything for a long while after that, and he frowned at her.

"What? Did the other ones actually work?"

She shook her head slowly. "No, they wore off about thirty minutes after I took them."

"Then what's the problem?"

She looked at the pills again, and a spear of longing went through her. It would be so nice to get rid of the ache…

"Nothing," She said finally, gruffly. "Nothing's wrong. I… thanks."

He shook his head in a resigned sort of way, presumably at the roughness of her voice. "You didn't think I'd just leave you, did you?" His voice was dripping with humor and left her to ponder whether or not he was actually serious.

"I guess not," She said grudgingly, eyeing him. He seemed uncomfortable under his gaze, and reached up a hand to scratch his neck. It was a distinctly awkward movement, and she would have laughed had she not spotted a bright, fluid substance clinging to his fingernails. It shown in the dusky morning light, and he, too, looked down at his hand as if surprised.

"Oh." He said.

"Alec," Max began, just a hint of worry under her tone. She had completely forgotten until now the way Alec had pulled the knife-wielding guard off of her. The move had switched the guard's focus from Max to Alec, and there had been a split second, hardly longer than a heartbeat, in which the cool, lethal blade had rested against Alec's neck. She'd had no idea it had left such a deep mark.

He looked back up at her, and the surprise in his eyes seemed to sharpen. "I'll be fine," He said, his voice hesitantly reassuring, like he couldn't tell whether or not she wanted to be reassured. "It's nothing. And neither is yours, actually, compared to some of the stuff I went through at Manticore. Once I—,"

She shot him a fierce look, wanting to quell his sudden burst of talkativeness before he went any farther. She didn't want to hear about all the things that had happened to him while he had been there. She didn't want to know how much he had suffered while she had been out carving a life for herself in the real world. She would never forget the angry words he'd spoken to her over his glass of scotch that night, letting her know that she could never understand.

And right now, she didn't really want to test that theory, because she was afraid he was right. That for all her self-righteous anger at Manticore, she really didn't understand the worst of what went on in that place.

His mouth closed with an audible snap, and the sound pulled her back into the present. She realized, as she watched his face close off, that she'd just made another mistake. For some reason, Alec had chosen that moment to open up to her, whether or not he had been about to tell her some stupid anecdote involving one of his unit-mates or a report of an injury he'd suffered a long time ago. And she'd just effectively cut him off again, because she had been too focused on not being able understanding him.

"Sorry, go ahead," She said as softly as she knew how, which was difficult and not altogether effective.

He stared at her a moment more and then shook his head, a smirk brushing over his lips. "Nah, forget it. Stupid, anyway."

She wanted to growl in frustration then, because she hated seeing the way he shut himself off. She recognized the tactic—had been taught the same one her entire life—and she wondered for the first time if this is how it felt to deal with _her_. She had never really met anyone who was as closed off as she was, had never tried to befriend anyone with bigger secrets than hers. It was a strange feeling, and one she didn't really want to contemplate too heavily.

"Y'know, I brought them over so you could take them," He said casually, his smile widening as amusement flashed in his green eyes.

She looked down at the bottle again, having forgotten the reason he had come over here in the first place. She didn't really know how to feel about that, either. He had come for her, because he must have known that she was desperately uncomfortable in her current state. And although she realized now that she hadn't thought about her wound since Alec's arrival, she knew it would become the center of her focus once he left again. She unscrewed the bottle and tipped a few out in her hand.

She was just about to throw them into her mouth when she stopped and looked at him suspiciously. "Wait. These won't make me act like an idiot or anything, will they?"

"Don't be stupid, Max," He said, and she ignored the jibe as she moved to put the tablets into her mouth again. "You don't need pills to make you act like an idiot."

She froze, looking at him with slightly wide eyes. He had never come out and really insulted her before, not quite like that. And she could see by the delighted look on his face that he was pretty pleased with himself. She felt the intense urge to kick his ass, but there was no way she would be able to reach him in time on her leg.

She gave it a moment's thought and then tipped the pills back into the bottle, using her free hands to pick up one of the small throw pillows next to her. Quickly, she pulled back her arm and launched the pillow at him, using just enough of her transgenic ability to make the impact sting. She grinned when it slapped him directly in the face.

"Max!" He groaned, his voice muffled. A moment later he reappeared, his face slightly red and his hair mussed. "You're the only one who would actually use a _pillow_ to injure someone! Don't you know you're supposed to dress up in skimpy lingerie and shit for this kind of stuff?"

He sounded so incredulous that she had to laugh. First it started with a few giggles, and grew until she was doubling over to try and stem the laughter. When she finally reemerged and wiped the corners of her eyes, she saw Alec staring at her, his gaze dancing with surprise and his mouth slack.

Silence reigned for a few moments.

"Uh, Max?"

"Yeah?"

"I think you finally lost it."

She felt another hysterical laugh bubble in her stomach and fought it back, thinking that maybe he was right. "No… I just haven't slept in awhile."

"You don't usually sleep, anyway."

She growled in frustration, and the urge to chuckle disintegrated. "This is _different_!"

"Uh-huh."

She shot him a glower but decided upon further reflection not to answer.

"Max?"

Could he ever _not_ talk? "_What_, Alec?"

"You can take the pills, you know. They won't do anything to you. Except what you want them to do." He sounded earnest, or at least as earnest as a genetically-altered killing machine _could_ sound. It was a complete one-eighty from the angry, suggestive guy he'd been a minute before. She blinked.

"Oh."

Max contemplated that for another moment and then shook a few of the small, tubular capsules out into her palm. Tilting her head back, she put them in her mouth and then swallowed dryly.

"Thanks," She said once the process was complete. It was funny, the number of times she had said that to him in the last few hours. Made her realize how dependent she was on him when it came to helping Logan out or just having her back in crazy situations.

He shrugged again and avoided her eyes. "Yeah, sure."

It was the first time it had ever bothered her, the awkwardness of it all. She could say thanks to Logan without being uncomfortable about it; she was always perfectly at ease acting grateful toward O.C or Sketchy. What made Alec so different, that they didn't work that way?

Maybe it was because of the secrets. In all of her other relationships, _she_ was the screwed up one. The one who had to bend to fit into what everyone else thought was normal. Not that they had ever told her she had to, but they would be uncomfortable if they knew the extent of what she kept buried beneath the surface. Maybe not O.C quite as much, but Sketchy didn't even know her secret and Logan was constantly asking her to live up to his morals. That made it easier, somehow, to do things like smile and show gratitude. Maybe because in relationships like that, it seemed less real; part of it was fake, so she wasn't really opening herself up, was she?

But Alec... Alec was just as messed up as her—more, if that was possible. He was like her in a lot of ways, which meant he could see through her more easily, get her in ways other people couldn't. It made things like this—things like apologies and conversations—more personal. And Max really hated personal.

"Max? You zoning already?"

She blinked a few times, realizing that she had, in fact, been caught up in her thoughts. She shook her head. "Sorry," She said absently, and then smiled ruefully at herself.

"What?"

He was starting to fear for her sanity, she could tell. Well, he was just going to have to deal with it. She was obviously not at the top of her game, and didn't really care much what he thought right now. After a few moments, he wisely chose to change the subject.

"You want me to tell Normal you've got a cold, or something? Or that your cat died? Or that you've been accidentally launched into outer-space because you snuck on board to push all the shiny red buttons?"

"I think I've already been launched into space," She said thoughtfully. "Go with the flu. I don't want to tempt the fates by saying my cat died. Never know how the gods'll interpret that one."

A surprised, sputtering laugh grabbed her attention, and she glanced back up at him, her brow furrowed. "Maxie's cracking jokes. Never thought I'd see the day."

Her frown deepened. "Hey! I make jokes all the time. It's not _my_ fault you haven't heard them."

"Well," He said in a mockingly considerate voice, "If you actually _told_ your jokes to me, maybe I would hear them."

She opened her mouth to reply when another piece of information slowly filtered through her slightly hazy brain. Her frown turned less annoyed, more serious. "Oh," She said slowly, "You're going to work?"

That was another thing about transgenics. They never actually said what they meant. And in this case, what she meant was, _You're leaving?_

She didn't know why that surprised her now, when earlier she had been sure he'd head out a few minutes after he'd arrived.

"Yeah," He said, his speech just as deliberate as hers. He snorted. "Although, it's not like I have to. If I call in sick, Normal will probably send over a care package." _Would you rather I didn't?_

Max mirrored his grunt. "You're gonna be sorry when he starts following you around on your runs and driving by your place at night." _Yes._

He seemed to think that over for a minute. "Good point." He glanced at the crooked old television set resting on a dresser in the far corner. "Anything good on TV?" _You want me to stay with you?_

She spent a few seconds digging in between the spaces of the couch and finally found an equally battered remote control. She tossed it at him. "Here, check. But no porn, annoying music videos or action movies." _Obviously_.

He sunk into the chair he'd sat in a few hours earlier and hit the power button. She watched the way his eyes lit up as the television drifted leisurely to life. "Aw, but those are the best." _You can only get the good porn on cable._

"_No_," She said forcefully, and then leaned back into the couch. Her head was still weirdly dizzy, and her eyelids suddenly felt heavy. Maybe this is what it felt like to be truly, honestly drugged. Huh.

"Oh, and Alec?" She said, cracking an eye open.

He looked at her expectantly.

"Keep your feet off the coffee table."

_This doesn't change anything. _

* * *

_A/N: Okay, for those who haven't read my stories before, I have a very hard time letting anything be too fluffy. Which explains that last line. But there is actually more to this—I'm thinking one more part. Probably. More soon. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Max awoke suddenly, as if a switch had been turned on. She jerked upright and instantly felt the stinging pain in her thigh, although it was less devastating than it had been before.

"'Bout time, Sleeping Beauty," Alec commented wryly from his seat in front of the television. She blinked away the hazy, foggy film that had settled over her eyes and looked at him quizzically. He was slouching casually, with the remote held loosely in his right hand and his feet draped unceremoniously over the coffee table. She frowned.

"Didn't I tell you not do that?" She asked in a hoarse, sleep-filled voice, slightly disgruntled by the way he looked so comfortable in her apartment.

He glanced at her and raised an eyebrow, and she noticed that his hair had a mussed quality, as if he'd been running his fingers through it. He kept his feet resolutely on top of the table. "Damn, Max. You wake up with that attitude every morning?"

She saw the spark in his eyes and glowered. "Well, I don't know. You always wake up irritating everyone?"

He grinned. "Not everyone. You're special."

She began to say something and then stopped, frowning slightly. He looked perfectly sardonic, proving that his statement was not at all serious; still, it seemed vaguely symbolic of something.

"Whatever." She grunted, still feeling groggy and not really wanting to engage in a battle of wits. "How long have I been out?"

He shrugged and removed his gaze from the television again. "Couple hours. Three at the most."

"Oh." She absorbed that for a moment. Sleep was good—great, in fact. But she really hadn't intended to sleep while Alec was with her. It just seemed… weird. Everything was starting to seem weird.

"How you feeling?" He asked in a would-be casual sort of way, but she heard the underlying thread of concern. That was also weird.

"Like I got stabbed."

He frowned at her, his expression serious—a rare display for him. "Max," He said, and there was actually a clear note of admonition in his tone.

"I feel fine, alright?" She asked grudgingly, a large part of her wanting to argue with him over the reprimand. "Just kind of…"

"Weird?" He filled in when she didn't continue.

She nodded, her eyes widening a little at the apt description. Yet another example of how well he was able to read her—she really disliked it when he did that. He shrugged.

"Drugs are most likely wearing off. And your leg's probably starting to heal, too."

She thought that over, and then it was her turn to shrug. "Whatever."

"Sleep really limits your vocabulary, huh?"

She growled and glared a bit, but he didn't seem all that intimidated. Probably used to it by now; she would need to pick up some new tactics. Not that anything had ever worked that well on Alec before.

"I'm made of stone," He said with a grin, correctly interpreting the look on her face.

"Not entirely." She retorted, although more seriously than she had intended. His smile faltered a little, and the image of him sobbing at a young girl's bedside entered her mind. She shoved it out again, not wanting to think about that day. That day that had changed everything she thought about him. Struggling to pull away from the seriousness of the conversation, Max added, "You're not that hard."

The slight sadness that had stretched over his face vanished and a wicked grin took its place. Max immediately knew what was going to come out of that perverted mouth of his and held up a hand to cut him off.

"_Don't_ say it," She warned, regretting her somewhat poor choice of words.

There was a short pause. Then, "You take the fun out of life."

"Yeah, well. It's my job."

"Wow, Max," He began, and she could tell by the mischief in his gaze that his next phrase wasn't going to be pleasant for her. "You're actually agreeing with me? Get out a pen and record this for the history books; I think we're having a moment."

She choked out a surprised, indignant sort of noise. "There was no _moment_. It was sarcasm, genius; you use it enough to recognize it."

He opened his mouth to reply, probably with a sarcastic retort to prove that he understood one, but a sudden knock on the door interrupted whatever comeback he'd prepared.

"I'll get it," He said immediately in a mock cheerful tone, but the evil grin was back.

"No!" Max shouted, her eyes wide. "Alec, don't, it could be anyone!"

"Like who?" He asked, his eyebrow raised. When she didn't answer, he continued in an infuriatingly mocking tone, "You don't care who it is, you just don't want your pal Alec answering the door in the clothes he wore yesterday and looking like he hasn't slept all night."

"So you're talking about yourself in the third person now?" She retorted immediately, trying to distract him from the truth of his words. "Could you _be_ anymore of an egomaniac?"

"Hmm," He pretended to ponder over the question, and since she couldn't get up and smack him, she did the next best thing and glared. "Yes, I think I could. And Max, you really need a new look. You glare _all_ the time."

With that, he turned toward the door and walked with a sort of swagger—to exacerbate the situation further, she was sure. "Alec, don't!"

Too late; the door swung inward and Max scrambled to get a better view of the person behind it. She saw a flash of glass and scruffy hair, and she knew that the one person she had never wanted to see at her apartment, much less with Alec here, was ironically standing on her doorstep.

"Logan!" She breathed. In her haste, she forgot her injury and tried to stand. When she put some of her weight on her leg and it shook violently she quickly remembered and began to move more slowly, but didn't halt.

"Max, sit back down," Alec said immediately, turning to look at her. Logan gazed at her over Alec's shoulder and Max saw a muscle jump in his cheek.

"No—shut up, Alec!" She snapped immediately, grabbing onto the back of the chair he'd previously sat in for support. "Logan, what are you doing here? It's not—it's not safe!" Her eyes widened as that thought occurred to her. If he didn't leave soon, they would have much bigger problems than Alec being in her apartment and looking tired. "I've touched everything—the Virus!"

"I just wanted to check on you," Logan said hurriedly, watching her hobble toward him with a tender expression. "I've been paging you for the last few hours—,"

She glanced sharply at Alec, asking him to confirm it. He shrugged. "I wanted to let you sleep."

Logan's gaze quickly shifted to Alec, and she saw jealousy behind his bespectacled eyes. It wasn't a first-time thing, but it was always a little disconcerting to see Logan switch from the sweet guy she loved to the envious and slightly possessive type.

"How long have you been here?" He asked, his eyes on Alec.

Alec stared at Logan, and even though Max could only see a profile view of him, she could tell that a smirk was curving at his lips. "Well, we got in at about six this morning, right Max? And then she couldn't sleep, so I—,"

His next sentence would most likely have been innocent, because all he'd done was bring her something to help with the pain. But the tone of his voice and the implicitness behind that smirk had Logan interrupting before Alec could finish.

"And you didn't tell her I was paging her?"

Alec shrugged again and turned back toward Max, looking completely unconcerned at Logan's open hostility. "She looks good when she's sleeping."

"Alec!" Max shrieked, her vision turning a dark shade of red. She shuffled the rest of the way over to him, using various pieces of furniture for help, and then placed a long-overdo smack on his forehead once she reached his side. He winced and rubbed the area.

"Stop it, right now." She said, her voice low and serious. Then she turned toward Logan, who was a little too close to comfort but otherwise still standing outside of her apartment and out of danger.

"Logan, you can't stay," She said again, taking a precautionary step backward and wobbling a little. "What made you come here in the first place? Do you have any idea how I'd feel if—,"

She broke off when she realized he was barely listening to her. His eyes had shifted from her face to about midway to her abdomen. She glanced down and realized that when she'd teetered and lost her balance while moving away from him, she'd absently reached and gripped Alec's wrist to keep herself standing. During the process, Alec's hand had folded so that his fingertips just brushed hers.

"What's going on here, Max?" Logan asked, and there was something dark underneath his tone that made his real question abundantly clear.

"Are you serious?" She asked, starting to feel angry. "_Nothing_, Logan. I needed help." Her voice dipped a little on the last word, because she really hated admitting it.

Logan looked at her for a long moment, his gaze searching. Then he took a step backward and pulled his glasses off, cleaning them in a weary sort of way. When he replaced them again, the suspicion in his eyes had dissipated. "I know. I'm sorry."

He sounded sincere, and his eyes were sad. She smiled a little at him. "It's okay."

Alec made a very small, but unmistakably derisive sound in the back of his throat. The act served both to remind them of his presence and to convey his dislike of the current turn in conversation.

"Can you leave for a second?" She asked, her voice chilly. His gaze met hers, and she could almost see a flicker of something beneath his eyes. Then he looked away and it was gone.

"Fine." He said shortly. She let go of him and he turned on his heel, heading back toward the bathroom. A moment later she heard the door slam closed, and breathed a sigh of relief. He could probably hear every word of their conversation anyway, but she was sure this discussion would go a little better without his direct presence.

"Logan," She said, turning back to him. She teetered on her feet again, and after she regained balance by putting most of her weight on one leg, she asked, "Can you move back?"

He shot her a slightly confused look, but complied all the same. After he had created a nice, safe gap between them, she took a few steps forward and braced herself on the doorframe. He faced her from across the hall.

"Logan," She began again now that she had sufficient support. "Alec's my friend, alright? And he's helped out a lot, so—,"

"When did that happen?" Logan interrupted, and she could see the envy and resentment resurfacing. "Max, I thought you hated him."

She shrugged, uncomfortably aware that she didn't really have an answer for him. "I guess spending a lot of time with Alec has made him more bearable." She said, for lack of anything better.

"And he's helped out a lot, you said." There was a small note of bitterness in his tone.

She nodded, feeling upset at the dejected look on his face. "Look, he knows about this kind of stuff, which makes him useful. If he hadn't stopped the bleeding last night, I'm not sure what would have happened."

"And he can touch you." Logan said in a sad, resigned sort of way. There was no accusation or indication in his tone, and she knew to take his words at face value.

She couldn't deny them, either. "It helps."

He nodded, and his eyes closed for a brief second. Then they opened again, and their bright blue depths were lined with sorrow. "Right, so I'll just go. Alec will take care of you." He said the last part softly, almost under his breath, and she resisted the urge to take a step toward him

"No, it's not like that." She said immediately, "Logan, Alec and I aren't anything. We'll never _be_ anything."

Hope flickered through his gaze, and she almost smiled at the sight. "You're sure?"

The answer to that question was clear, and it should have been easy to say. But in that tiny moment, for reasons she would never be able to explain, Max hesitated. Then she took a breath to cover the second of silence and said, "Yeah, of course I'm sure."

He didn't seem to notice the pause. In fact, he didn't seem to notice anything but the words she had spoken. It was something he'd always done, take her at face value. It was also something that Alec _never_ did.

"Call me later, okay?" He asked, his voice sincere.

She had a thousand responses to that question. She wanted to say that she'd meant it when she'd said she wasn't going to be around him anymore, that she wasn't going to call him or return his pages ever again because she had to keep him safe. But as he looked at her, so expectant and eager, she wasn't sure how to tell him any of that.

"Maybe."

His smile faltered just a little, but again he took her words as they were. Not quite an affirmation, but not quite a rejection either. He saw it as hope.

And as he turned and walked down the hallway, looking so out of place in the rundown apartment building, she saw it as a cage. She stood there for a few seconds longer, gazing after him.

A sudden creak in the floorboards behind her indicated Alec's return, and she looked back toward him, noting the strange, serious expression on his face.

"You were listening." She said, and it wasn't a question.

He shrugged and dug his hands into his pockets. "Kind of hard not to."

Of course. Of course he'd heard everything, she'd expected him to. "He's jealous of you."

"I noticed."

Max shook her head wearily, leaning harder against the doorframe for support. She felt drained and confused—a common occurrence when it came to Logan.

"I would be, too," Alec continued after she stayed silent, and his voice lacked all of its usual humor. "If some other guy could touch you when I couldn't."

She stared at him for a beat, disliking this conversation more and more with each passing second. She didn't like where this was headed, or what it implied. "Yeah, well, you certainly goaded him about it," She retorted, her lips twisting as she struggled to bring them back to a plane she understood. "Which really helped the situation, by the way."

He didn't take the bait, didn't even attempt a retort. He just stared at her.

"It doesn't matter anyway," She added, almost desperately. "I told him that there was nothing to worry about."

This time Alec reacted, nodding slowly. "I heard that, too." He finally broke eye-contact and looked away from her, reaching up to scratch his neck. "Listen, I gotta go. I haven't slept at all in the past twenty-four hours."

"Yeah, sure," She said in a valiant attempt at casualness. "Thanks for… everything." She realized as she spoke the words that she really meant them, and that she really had a lot to thank him for.

But once again, he waved her apology off. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you later, Max."

With that, he walked past her and into the hallway, following the path Logan had taken just minutes before. After his back disappeared from sight, Max closed the door behind him and let out an exhausted sigh.

_I heard that, too. _

That's what she'd been afraid of. Because Alec read between the lines.

**-Fin**

_A/N: Epilogue to come. As you can probably see, they are not going to end up together in this fic; it would take much more than an injury to get these two to open up completely. That being said, the epilogue will have a little more MA friendship, so stay tuned!_


	5. Epilogue

_A/N: I'm feeling the need to babble, so you can go ahead and skip this if you want to. But for those of you interested, this is my first completed Dark Angel multi-chapter fic! Short or not, somewhat plot-less or not, that fact makes this story very special to me. Thanks to anyone who took the time to review; if you hadn't I wouldn't have even continued with this. So thank you, so much!_

_Also, anyone wondering about Phobia, I promise it's getting done. It's just a little harder to get the chapters out, but I'm not quitting with it. I'll see it through to the end, whenever and wherever that may be, so no worries on that front._

_Lastly, I received a lot of comments on the fact that Alec and Max aren't getting together in this story. A few reviewers seemed upset about it, and others demanded that I continue. So I'm just going to go into a little more detail about why I made that decision; again, skip this if you don't care. They aren't getting together as a couple because I strongly believe it would take at least a dozen chapters to make it plausible. _

_I think they're a great pairing, but that does not mean they're packaged and ready to go. Both of them have to grow and change and accept each other. And I just don't have time to turn this into a full-fledged Max/Alec get-together fic. I could force them together, but it wouldn't feel natural or in character, so this is where it ends. Hopefully it's not too much of a disappointment to you! _

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Well, well, well. Look who's back from the dead."

Max rolled her eyes as made her way to Normal's dispatch station, moving only a little slower than usual and walking with a slight limp.

"Don't start death rumors again," She said, her lips twisting. "I've only been gone a few days."

"Three days. You've been gone _three_ days with no excuses," Normal said without hesitation, throwing a long, cylindrical package at her as he did so. "You think I'm just going to let you walk back in here after that?"

That question had an obvious answer, especially since he was already handing over her deliveries for the day. She figured he just argued for the sake of it at this point. "Uh, yeah. And I do have an excuse." He looked at her expectantly, eyebrows raised and glasses pressed close to his nose. "I got mugged."

He let out a small, sarcastic chuckle, and the familiar noise grated on Max's nerves. "Yeah, sure, Missy-Miss. I've seen you kick around guys twice your size when they're peeping into the ladies' change-room."

"What can I say?" She asked, one sardonic eyebrow raised. "A girl can't win all the time. Guess someone finally managed to get the drop on me."

"Yeah, whatever," Normal replied, throwing a few more packages her way. "Is that leg gonna slow you down any? I'm not paying you if you're going to give less effort than usual." He paused, thought about that for a second, and then added, "Not that you usually give much effort, anyway."

Ah, so he _was_ more observant than he seemed. Max shrugged carelessly. "I'm tough."

He paused to stare at her, impatience written all over his face. "Well then, get to work, will you?"

She rolled her eyes heavenward again and gathered up her parcels, wondering why she even bothered to work for him at all. She'd originally joined Team Jam Pony just to find places to rob, and it wasn't like she did that anymore. But then again, she'd just missed three days of work without calling in sick, and she still had a job. Case closed.

"You gonna be okay, Boo?" O.C asked as Max made her way over to her locker.

"Yeah, of course," Max replied easily, trying to make her slightly awkward gate a little less noticeable. She opened her locker and pulled out a few things, stuffing them and her deliveries into her messenger bag.

Original Cindy looked doubtful, but she knew better than to argue with Max about things like health and injuries. "A'ight, boo. Catch you later at Crash?"

"Sure," Max replied, sending O.C a small wave as the other woman peddled out of the building.

Max slung her bag over her shoulder and tried to adjust the straps to a more comfortable position. The extra weight didn't bother her leg much, but she did feel a slight twinge of discomfort every time the pack shifted. Her eyes wandered listlessly around the dim walls of Jam Pony—until they landed on a humor-filled green gaze.

Catching his stare, Max walked slowly, almost uncertainly over to him. It was a little like one of those awkward morning-after moments, except without the sex.

And that was really _not_ something she wanted to think about right now, in any sense.

"Hey," She said once she'd reached him. He had been sitting on the bench and toying with the strap on his glove when she'd caught his eye, but now he stood.

"Hey," He replied in the same mock-casual tone. Then he glanced sideways at her, still adjusting the band around his wrist. "You're not going to thank me again, are you? 'Cause I might develop a complex."

The atmosphere shifted slightly, and most of the tension waned as she scowled at him. "Must you always be so egotistical? I wasn't going to thank you, idiot."

"Stop confusing me, Maxie. One minute you're calling me a genius, and the next I'm an idiot," He waved his hands in a confused and resigned sort of way.

She rolled her eyes. "You're the one jumping to conclusions. I was just saying 'hi.'"

He grinned at her then, and she had the resist the temptation to smile back. If she ever gave into the urge, she had to admit his carefree attitude was infectious. "Max, you've never just come over and said 'hi' before."

And just like that, the conversation was serious again. She tried to think of an adequate comeback, but after a few seconds of struggling she resigned herself to the significance of the moment. "I have too. Once."

The grin fell off his face and he glanced down again, now shoving packages of various sizes into his messenger bag. She saw the tenseness in his muscles as they bunched and flexed, but his voice was relatively even as he said, "You're not going to ask me if I'm alright again, are you?"

His usually quirked lips were tilted downwards and his eyes held an emotionless cast. It was clear that this subject was as out-of-bounds now as it had been then, and she wasn't going to push. "Are you kidding me?" She asked, her voice as incredulous as she could muster—a fairly good imitation. "_You_ should be asking _me_ that."

His shoulders relaxed and the smirk slid back onto his face. "Fine, if you insist. You alright?"

She paused for half a second, and then smiled back. "Always."

It seemed metaphorical, in a way, how they always answered that question with a lie. The only person who would ever really know the truth was the same person who did more than just listen.

He shook his head at her a little ruefully, and they simultaneously began walking toward the bike rack. "That'll go away, soon." He said, nodding his head toward the slight hesitation in her gait.

She stayed quiet for a second, nodding her head absently. Then she turned to look at him, full of sudden determination. "Speaking from experience?" She asked.

He gazed at her, and she could have sworn he was measuring her up. Then he quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah," He said finally, but didn't elaborate any further.

She resigned herself to doing most the work and asked, after a slight pause, "What happened?"

He stopped and turned to face her then, and she had a feeling he was doing more of that measuring thing. She figured she must have passed the test, because after a long, searching look he said, "Bullet went straight through." He indicated to his thigh for emphasis.

She hissed through her teeth. "Ouch," She said, really sympathizing for him. He nodded but stayed silent. She huffed slightly and then continued, "What were you doing at the time?"

"Recon."

At least he'd stopped pausing before every answer. If she could drag him away from single-syllable replies, this conversation would actually get somewhere. Of course, she really couldn't complain about having to persuade him into tell her something he'd been ready to say three days ago. "So that happened before you were cleared for solo missions?"

"You mean assassinations?" His gaze was piercing.

Her mouth dropped open and she suddenly realized that they were surrounded by people, any of whom could overhear. She hurriedly glanced around; he noticed her actions and did likewise. Then their eyes met again.

"Yeah," She said, as calmly as she could manage.

"Yes. I only did solo ops for about three years."

"And then Manti—it burned down." She filled in, still conscious of possible stray listeners. She wondered how much experience he'd actually had in the real world before he'd been dropped into it.

"Yeah."

The stared at each other for a beat, and then Alec turned away and pulled out a bicycle. Max hesitated.

"You said once that I couldn't understand." She began, her voice low. He didn't look at her, but his entire body stilled and she knew she had his attention. "Explain it to me?"

It was strange, how differently that phrase could sound. A few weeks ago she had used it as a demand; now it was a request.

He stayed quiet for a while longer, and she stared patiently at his back. Then he straightened and turned to look at her, hands still balancing the bike. "Will you tell me about being outside for the last ten years?"

A surge of memories flooded her brain at the question. She remembered her brothers and sisters and spending most of her life frantically searching for any lead that would help find them. She remembered Zach and everything that had happened after they'd reunited; she remembered Ben. She remembered the foster homes; the nights spent out in the cold, afraid of the entire world; the sting of ice water on her face as she fell into a small, frozen pond.

In that moment, she realized how her relationship with Alec had changed. Subtly at first, but now it was undeniable that something had shifted. They were comfortable enough to ask questions they hadn't wanted to voice before.

But as she stared at him, his head tilted questioningly to the side, she realized that they were comfortable with the questions, but not the answers. Not yet.

"Maybe some other time," She said, and he nodded, the tightness leaving his features. Her denial meant he didn't have to share, either.

She pulled a bicycle off the rack now, and only hesitated for a moment before throwing her undamaged leg over the side. When that went smoothly, she tested out peddling and found that it wasn't too bad. Being a genetically engineered super-soldier with fantastic healing abilities and a high pain tolerance had its perks.

"All set?" He asked, and there was only a small amount of sarcasm in his tone.

"Yes," She replied, choosing to respond to his concern rather than his derision. She balanced on her toes for an experimental second. Then she shot him a glance. "See you at Crash tonight?"

He stared at her, completely motionless for a moment, and then he smiled. Not a smirk or a grin or a sarcastic quirking of the lips. A _real_ smile. "Yeah."

**The End**

_A/N: There, hope you enjoyed! Thanks again to all my readers and reviewers!_


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